If you can't get to the North Side, there are some other great water experiences for children. Try the floor fountains at PPG Plaza or South Side Works or the water steps on the North Shore by the stadiums. All are great ways to keep your kids cool for the summer.

Probably the most famous breakfast place now well located in many parts of the city is Pamela's. Try their very special thin pancakes and wonderful hash browns in Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, The Strip, Millvale, and the newest one in Mt. Lebanon.

Speaking of pancakes, if you haven't been to the Original Pancake House, you have no idea what you are missing. I first had these in Chicago and get really excited if I run into one when I'm traveling. There are three locations in the area. Be sure not to go alone because you must try both the Apple and the Dutch Baby.

The unassuming Strip District restaurant DeLuca's is a favorite with Pittsburgh residents. Try homemade sausages, omelettes, and heaping stacks of buckwheat pancakes.

Vegetarians rave about The Quiet Storm on Penn Ave. in Garfield. Also, a real feast can be had at Zenith on the South Side for Sunday Brunch.

For something really different try Oh Yeah! Ice Cream & Coffee at 232 S. Highland Ave. in East Liberty. They make special coffee blends and made to order yummy waffles.

Pittsburgh's most famous long-standing brunch is at the Grand Concourse, a gorgeous restored train station in Station Square. It's the most expensive of any that I have listed here but it's an amazingly lavish all-you-can-eat spread, with omelet stations, carving stations, smoked fish, salads, hot and cold entrees, croissants, bagels, muffins, fruit, and desserts. And as with all of the places I've mentioned, you probably won't have to eat for the rest of the day.

Starting on the Southside check out BigDog on Sarah Street. They had great oatmeal for breakfast, a nice soup for lunch and original hand made hohos for any time. And if you are further down on Carson don't miss the original BeeHive directly catty-corner from Starbucks.
Beehive

In Highland Park, be sure to have a latte at Tazza D’Oro and on your way back to town stop at the other end of Highland Ave at Oh Yeah! for some made-to-order swirl ice cream and waffles with your expresso!

Oh Yeah! Ice Cream and Coffee

Tazza D'Oro

In Garfield check out the retro Quiet Storm.

Quiet Storm

On the North Side join the community at the Beleza Community Coffeehouse where there is always something entertaining along with great food and coffee.

And for those in the south try coffee Italian style at Aldo Caffe

Aldo Coffee

If you want coffee with your art try Make your Mark in Point Breeze.

Make Your Mark Coffee House

And finally, the original local coffee company located in the strip: La Prima.

La Prima

Climb Pittsburgh is a race to the top of the Gulf Tower in Downtown Pittsburgh to raise funds for those battling lung disease.

Climb Pittsburgh

Walk MS:The MS Walk is the signature funding event of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Choose from a 5 mile route or a 1 mile accessible route, beginning and ending at Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh.

Walk MS: Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Race for the Cure: Held each year on Mother's Day, this race supports the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation with its mission to eradicate breast cancer as a life threatening disease. 2009 marks the 17th anniversary in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Race for the Cure:

As the signature fund-raising event for the American Heart Association, the annual Heart Walk at PNC Park promotes heart-healthy living in a fun family environment.

American Heart Walk:

If biking is more your style try Pedal Pittsburgh, a bicycle tour of the neighborhoods that make Pittsburgh unique. Pedal Pittsburgh benefits the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh.

Pedal Pittsburgh:

The race has its full complement of runners with 3,500 runners in the full 26.2-mile marathon, 3,500 in the 13.1-mile half marathon and 2,000 in the four-person relay team category all of whom have been training for months.

The excitement begins in the morning with the 7:30 starting time. There will be major happenings in each neighborhood, so pull out your lawn chair wherever you end up and enjoy the day.

If you want to do more, volunteers are always welcome.

Dress warmly and lace up your ice skates for a day of ice skating outdoors. We have two very wonderful local outdoor ice skating options. Try the downtown Rink at PPG Place or the rink at the Schenley Park Oval. You can rent skates in either place if you don't have your own.

Or how about skiing or snowboarding? Within 100 miles of Pittsburgh, there are 8 ski resorts with an excellent base of snow ready for your skis or snowboard. From Seven Springs, Blue Knob and Hidden Valley in Western PA, to Holiday Valley in NY, and Snowshoe in WV, there is plenty of choices nearby.

If you don't want to travel far, try Boyce Park. It is located at 675 Old Frankstown Road in Pittsburgh, PA 15239. To contact the park call 724-327-0338 or 724-327-8798. During the winter months there is skiing, snowboarding and tubing and of course, plenty of land for your cross country skis, snowshoes and sleds.

Finally, there are three Bladerunners Ice Complex locations in Pittsburgh; Warrendale, Bethel Park and Harmarville. Bladerunners are family friendly offering ice hockey. Bladerunners offers skating lessons and the Bethel Park location offers something new called Bumper Cars on Ice.

Enjoy! Before you know it we'll be looking for air conditioning!

The David L. Lawrence Convention Center is the first and largest certified “green” convention center in the world and is the only meeting venue to be awarded the Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) by the U.S. Green Building Council. Opened in 2003 along the river in downtown Pittsburgh, it is walking distance to the Cultural District and the Strip District.

The Center, designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, blends unparalleled functionality with cutting-edge technology making it quite a sight to behold. Acres of column-free exhibit space and refreshing natural daylight are its impressive architectural hallmarks.

Before you enter, look up and notice the great Jenny Holzer installation running along the interior edges of the entrance including texts by locally born writers Annie Dillard and Edgar Wideman. This is just one of the twenty-five commissioned art works throughout the building.

Inside, check out the view along the river edge of the building and then the equally fascinating view on the opposite side of the convention floor. Give yourself time to explore all the building levels and art.

When you leave, it's an easy walk across the street to the Westin first stopping at Three G Gallery in the concourse to purchase some locally produced art and then onto a sushi snack at the Original Fish Market.

The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning is a 42-story Gothic-style tower. The Nationality Rooms are a collection of 26 classrooms designated as a Pittsburgh historical landmark. They are located on the 1st and 3rd floors of the Cathedral of Learning. Twenty-four of the 26 rooms are functional classrooms utilized daily by University of Pittsburgh faculty and students, while the other two are display rooms can be explored only via guided tour.

The rooms were financed and created by different ethnic groups from the area in response to an invitation from the Chancellor who wanted the rooms decorated to represent highly creative periods or aspects of their heritages. The rooms, completed between 1938 and 2000 provide spiritual and symbolic foundation for the tower. Many of the rooms contain fine artwork and even museum pieces in display cases and each is totally unique to the culture it represents.

Use the Fifth Avenue entrance to find the tour. Monday-Saturday, the tours begin at 9:00 and start the last tour at 2:30. On Sundays, the tours begin at 11:00 and start the last tour at 2:30. They close for Thanksgiving Day, December 24, 25, 26, New Year's Day. The fee for adults is $3.00 and children under 18 are only $1.00.

It's not the same as actually seeing them in person but they even offer a virtual tour: Nationality Rooms at the University of Pittsburgh 

The food was well prepared and tasty. We had halibut cakes and beautiful cheese plate for appetizers. One main course was a tasty penne pasta with sun dried  tomatoes, basil, pine nuts and olive oil served with a roasted beets, green beans and arrugala salad and the other was a delicious seared salmon with avocado corn salsa and a wild rice cranraisin pecan salad.

Dessert was absolutely yummy- a chestnut flower chocolate cake and little cream puffs filled with home-made vanilla bean ice cream. The service was excellent and we loved having the place all to our selves.

Located at 178-180 Pius Street. 412-381-7695 Call for hours.

Check out the web site for more details: UUBU6

On the North Side, try Middle Street off East North Avenue and in Polish Hill, go for  the Downing Street Steps off Herron Avenue.

My neighborhood, The South Side, offers lots of great step hikes which I do regularly for exercise. Try the Mission Street Steps from Oakley Way to Barry Street or Top of the Yard Way off of Pius Street.

There are also two great step events. If you're here in May try The Fineview-Step-A-Thon on the North Side with 381 steps. The Pittsburgh StepTrek,  held in October,  has two different courses covering 2,700 steps or approximately 1,460 vertical feet.